April 17, 2020
#IHeartUWLibraries: Ari’s Story
With Libraries buildings closed, many students, staff and faculty are missing their favorite place to study, access to computers and software, and their friendly librarians at the reference desk; but Libraries staff are working remotely every day to connect you with the tools and support you need. As Ari Hock, a UW PhD student realized when spring quarter began—the staff and tools he relied on from the UW Libraries are still here to help—wherever you are.
Hock is pursuing his PhD in learning sciences and human development within UW’s College of Education. For a capstone project in his educational psychology class last quarter, Ari relied on the Libraries’ Media Arcade for access to tools like the Adobe Creative Cloud, and to learn new skills to complete a video for his capstone project, exploring artists’ process and inspiration. But he soon realized the Media Arcade was much more than just a computer lab with software.
Ari Hock
“Being a grad student and doing my own research can be kind of scary and isolating when you are working alone all of the time, says Hock. “Working in the Media Arcade inspired me to consider different perspectives. It provided a place to work with people who aren’t in my program with different areas of expertise and ideas. Being able to connect to that energy helped me to push myself to learn more. I would rather be there (in the Media Arcade) than pay for a subscription to work by myself; it just feels more collaborative.”
In addition, Hock also worked with Libraries staff to help teach a 6th grade class lesson on podcasting and digital media.
“For me, using the Libraries–be it remotely or in person– is much more than getting meaningful content and resources, it’s about building relationships to support my work,” says Hock.
In the wake of COVID-19, and remote learning in spring quarter, Ari wasn’t sure if he would be able to get support from the Media Arcade, but when he reached out, UW Libraries Media Arcade Technician, Bryan Shipley, was there to help.
“I was having trouble accessing the cloud resources I needed, and it wasn’t a simple issue. Bryan went the extra mile to identify the problem and work with the vendor to help fix the issue so that I could continue working,” said Hock.
In spring quarter, Ari is building on the video production skills he honed in the Media Arcade to create instructional videos for the College of Education, helping faculty to produce their own videos for remote learning. Check out Ari’s video on how to use captions with Panopto.
While we all look forward to the day when campus life returns to a more routine state, there is one thing that won’t change—UW Libraries teams—from the Media Arcade in Suzzallo, to any one of our sixteen Libraries – are still here to help. Libraries staff are meeting and advising students and faculty remotely through ZOOM meetings and personal consultations over the phone and via email.
If you have questions about digital media production, the UW Libraries’ Media Arcade staff are available via Zoom, chat or email to help advise on projects and troubleshoot a broad range of technical questions that students may have at home. To learn more about how the Media Arcade can help you, visit their website or contact medialib@uw.edu.
PS: April 19- 25th is National Libraries Week. If YOU have a story about how the UW Libraries have helped you – make a video for the 2020 student video contest (it could be worth $1,500!), email or tweet it to us. We would love to hear from you!
#YourLibrary #UWTogether
